Below are a few essential items I believe will help us become a cooperative, thoughtful, hard-working school family!
FLIPPED Back to School Night video
The embedded video to the right is what I shared with the families before they visited my classroom on Back to School Night. It is a brief overview of who I am and my passion as a teacher.
Parent Questionnaire
If you haven't already completed the Parent Questionnaire so I can hear your perspective about your child, please do so! Thanks!
Person of the Week (POW)
All students in my class must do a presentation about themselves later on in the school year on a week they will select. The goal is for us to grow in community, learn about each other, and appreciate our unique differences. You may assist them in creating their presentation, but please don't do it for them. (more info)
Student-Led Conferences
Instead of typical Parent-Teacher Conferences on the week of Thanksgiving Break, my students will be present at the conference and will actually be leading the meeting. I will be there as their teacher and support, but I will only speak when necessary. It has been a great experience for the students to be prepared, speaking to their parents about the effort they have put forth in their education. The parents also love hearing about what their child is learning directly from them! If parents want to schedule a separate meeting with me alone (without their child), then we can certainly do that at another time. (more info)
Reading Buddies
The 5th graders get an amazing opportunity this year, as we are reading buddies with Mrs. Mickel's 1st grade class! It is a great experience for both classes, and our class learns how to lead by example by helping them with reading books, building projects, and many other classroom assignments. We also have parties together and enjoy playing together at recess from time-to-time.
Neighborhood House
Being able to serve Neighborhood House with my students is my most favorite thing that I get to do as a teacher at West Hills. I am very passionate about serving others who are struggling. Neighborhood House is a non-profit organization in nearby Multnomah Village, which is the largest food pantry in SW Portland. We go there regularly throughout the year, and it is a great opportunity for me to teach my students through action that life is all about loving God and loving others. (more info)
For information about grades and the online grade book, view the Grade Book Info page. It is a great resource for families to be able to keep track of their child's progress with academics.
Homework & Calendar
The most beloved page on my website is the Homework & Calendar page. This is where you can find daily homework assignments, long-term project due dates, upcoming exams, and other important events. Many parents enjoy this resource as a check to make sure their child is writing down their homework assignments into their personal calendar (or assignment book) correctly. I encourage parents to get into a routine of checking this page with their child regularly.
Classroom Photos
Please visit the Class Pics & Vids page to see how I share student photos/videos in my class. For a quick link, here is the album I have already started: 2017-2018 - Google Photo Album
Social Media
I love being able to showcase a love for learning at school! We have two classroom social media accounts: Instagram and Twitter. Social media is ever present in our society and I believe that teaching the kids how to properly use it will be advantageous for them in the future. I teach the students proper grammar and have them practice literary skills by writing daily tweets on a worksheet. Then, we share them as a class and I approve which tweets will be posted onto the class Twitter account. As for Instagram, we have a Photographer student classroom job, and I teach them to take a variety of pictures: hard-working students, collaborative group work, and also fun/goofy pictures when we are having fun (I encourage a balance). Then, I approve which photos are posted, and those photos are cross-posted to the classroom Twitter account. Please follow them to see what we are doing in class! (more info)
General Info
For information about our weekly classroom schedule, my Riedl Rules and consequences, my teaching philosophy, and an overview of the 5th grade curriculum, view the Our Classroom page.
Volunteer!
I really appreciate family volunteers in the classroom, on field trips, during class parties, etc. Please consider helping out regularly or maybe just once! We really appreciate the help! View the Volunteer Info page.
I am extremely excited about partnering with you this year! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact me and we can chat online or in person. Thank you so much for letting me help teach them!
Sincerely,
--Mr. Riedl
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.